Tamron announces SP 15-30mm F/2.8 release date and $1200 price point

Tamron has announced availability and pricing for its much-anticipated 15-30mm F/2.8 stabilized wide angle zoom. Set for availability on January 30th in Canon and Nikon mounts with Sony to follow later, the lens will retail for $1199. It's an attractive price for a fast, wide-angle zoom for full-frame, especially given its inclusion of Tamron's VC image stabilization. The lens comprises 18 elements in 13 groups and uses a unique double lens hood design.

Tamron's state-of-the-art lens design features an XGM (eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical)*1 lens element and eBAND Coating*2 for outstanding detail and performance from the center to the edges of the frame over the entire zoom range.

January 23, 2015, Commack, New York- Tamron, a leading manufacturer of precision optics, announces the release of a groundbreaking F/2.8 ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for full-frame DSLR cameras. The Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (model A012) is the only zoom lens in its category to feature image stabilization. The lens will be available starting January 30, 2015 at $1199.

Since 2012, Tamron has been expanding its lineup of interchangeable lenses for full-frame DSLR cameras. The Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A007) was the world's first F/2.8 high-speed standard zoom lens to include image stabilization, followed by the development of the unique SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A009), SP 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD (Model F004), and SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD (Model A011) lenses, all of which have been highly acclaimed among the photo enthusiasts around the globe. Now, we have developed SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A012) to expand the world of imaging possibilities in the wide-angle range.

Available from January 30, 2015In limited quantitiesSuggested Retail Price: $1199*The launch date of the Sony mount model will be announced at a later date

Product Highlights

1. Superior, class leading imaging performance using an innovative XGM lens elementWith an optical construction consisting of 18 elements in 13 groups, including, for the first time, an XGM (eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical) lens element placed in the front group, and several Molded-Glass Aspherical elements and LD (Low Dispersion) elements used throughout the optical system, aberrations such as geometrical distortion and lateral color are efficiently corrected enabling the zoom lens to deliver outstanding image quality throughout its entire zoom range from corner to corner.

2. Enhanced sharpness with exclusive VC image stabilization when shooting handheld in low light or at nightIn response to popular demand, Tamron has created the world's first F/2.8 ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with VC (Vibration Compensation)*4. The VC allows shooting at slow shutter speeds and in low light conditions, and effectively compensates for minor camera shake, whilst maintaining class leading optimal performance.

3. eBAND Coating provides superior anti-reflection propertiesIn addition to further optimizing Tamron's acclaimed BBAR (Broad-Band Anti-Reflection) Coating, the eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency) Coating has also been employed in this lens. This combination offers superior anti-reflection properties especially important in ultra-wide-angle lenses which are particularly susceptible to flare and ghosting due to their wide angle of view, and provides superior quality and crystal-clear images by minimizing unwanted light reaching the sensor.

4. 15-30mm zoom covers both ultra-wide and semi-wide-angle focal lengthsAt its ultra-wide-angle settings this lens can capture, in a single photograph, broad landscapes that cannot be taken in fully by the human eye. At its semi-wide-angle focal lengths, it's ideal for travel and street photography. In short, this unique lens utilizes the zoom function to provide maximum shooting flexibility with a wide range of subjects.

5. Fascinating background "bokeh" throughout the wide-angle range due to its fast constant F/2.8 apertureUtilizing its shallow depth of field at F/2.8, it enables users to capture beautiful bokeh effects even at wide coverage angles. Its advanced optical formula and 9-bladed circular diaphragm are designed with defocused photography in mind - perfect for creating images where subjects stand out from their natural, blended backgrounds.

6. Proven fluorine coating utilizing Tamron's industrial lens expertise is used on the front elementFluorine coating, with an established track record in Tamron's industrial lenses, such as those used in automotive cameras, has been applied to the front element. It repels water and dirt, and makes it easier to remove smudges.

8. Lens hood designed to prevent light from striking lens at all focal lengthsThis unique lens hood provides effective shading of the front lens surface over the entire zoom range to minimize flare. It utilizes the unique characteristics of the optical system in which the front lens group recedes as you zoom in from 15 mm to 30 mm.

9. Double-hood structure provides additional strengthA double-hood structure has been incorporated into the lens design to improve the durability of the zoom mechanism.

10. Comes with "SILKYPIX Developer Studio for Tamron", RAW image processing software customized for Tamron SP lensesThe SILKYPIX Developer Studio software can develop high-quality images from RAW data, incorporating adjustments that can express the personal style and taste of the photographer. These include white balance, color, sharpness, and the tonal curves recorded by digital cameras.

The SILKYPIX Developer Studio for Tamron provides a range of functions in addition to the basic adjustment capabilities, such as correcting aberrations (chromatic aberrations, distortion, peripheral light fall-off), based on the optical data. Used in tandem with Tamron's SP series lenses - renowned for their crisp, high-resolution imaging - this advanced technology efficiently produces images that meet photographers' most exacting demands.

1 The XGM (eXpanded Glass Molded Aspherical) lens element is capable of efficiently correcting aberrations in the angle of view that changes significantly with an ultra-wideangle zoom lens. Furthermore, it has an especially significant impact on minimizing distortion and enhancing sharpness of the image at its periphery.2 eBAND (Extended Bandwidth & Angular-Dependency) Coating is a new nanotechnology-based coating technique developed by Tamron to reduce unwanted reflections.3 The Sony mount version does not include VC since Sony digital SLR bodies incorporate built-in image stabilization functionality. The name of the Sony mount model is "SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di USD" without the VC designation.4 VC (Vibration Compensation) is Tamron's proprietary image stabilization mechanism.5 USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) is Tamron's proprietary ring-type ultrasonic motor.

Comments

I think I'd buy the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 for $400 and carry my 24-50/4 from back in the film days. All this expensive wide-aperture stuff is for......what? A travel zoom at 2pounds? A digital camera that won't go above ISO200? What? Soon all the new zooms will be f/1.4, cost $3000 and weight 8pounds. Scuse me, but I won't be in line to buy one.

I just got mine yesterday from our local camera shop. My husband and I have made quite a few purchases there and we took our cameras in for a cleaning the other day. Our regular sales guy and photo guru let us know he had one coming in so we jumped on it. So far, I am really liking it! Took a test shot at the camera shop at 1/6 of a second, handheld with VC on. I was pretty amazed at how sharp the pic was. I also took a shot outside of a tall tree (no leaves) against the bright but cloudy sky. Chromatic Aberration was very minimal. There is distortion at 15mm, but about what I expected. The lens seems to be well-made. Some have complained of the size and weight, but it felt solid and easy to handle (and I am a 5'2" woman with small to med hands). We went to Treasure Island and took shots of the Bay Bridge and San Fran. So far, I'm happy with the purchase. I am hoping that Fotodiox will make a WonderPana filter holder for this lens.

the real questions is picture quality (barrel distortions, corner sharpness, vignetting and flare resistance). if that come out nicely with stabilised option also for video etc, it will be hit like 24/70/2.8 vc is.

That pretty much sums up my feelings about it. I love their 24-70mm, but the wide end has a bit too much distortion to do pans and tilts in video without everything looking wonky. If the 15-35 has comparable sharpness and is low on distortion (and if someone comes up with a way to get filters or a matte box on it), I'll be very interested in this lens.

I don't know about the 24-70 comparison. As much as it's cheaper than the OEM (with similiar or better specs), it's not "that" outstanding lens imo. It can't be compared to what sigma 50 art is doing in its own category.

I also tested a tarmron 24-70s and sigma 24-105s IS in a store, and unless the 24-70 copy was slightly bad, I'd say sigma's OS was doing better job than the tamron 24-70's VC.

I don't know why Nikon can't make a 15mm 2.8 prime without the bulbous front element and filter threads like the Zeiss plus they should be able to price it under 2K. Hell they could even eliminate AF like Zeiss and no need for VR, keep it light.

I think every manufacturer is having trouble making a wide lens in that range with a filter thread. Only the rumored sigma 14-24 f4 was supposed to have one, but it was probably a fake rumor as there's no new rumors on it..

There are a number of 14mm f/2.8 primes for full frame (Canon, Nikon, & Samyang) and Zeiss has an 18mm f/3.5. The latter is a good bit slower, manual focus, no stabilization, and still half a kilo or so. I'd grab the Nikon 16-35/4 or 18-35/3.5-4.5 over it just about any day.

Fairly certain that Nikon made a 17mm prime back in the 70s or so but I have no idea how good it is. Definitely manual focus though.

They are going for super speed, not compactness. If they wanted to make a compact FF lens, they could. And it would be the same size as the APS-C lens you're talking about. It seems that a lot of quality FF optics are about speed, not size. I wish that was different.

Tamron has quite a few years to work on this lens over Nikon and is also slightly less wide so I am willing to wager that this lens will give the Nikon a run for its money if not even slightly beat it in some aspects.

Given that their 24-70 and 70-200 VC lenses are on par with Nikon equivalents, and I think the 150-600 is probably on par through the overlapping focal range with the 80-400, I'd think that it's realistic to hope it will be. The 14-24 is very good, but I"m betting this is lens is in the IQ ballpark with it and the 16-35. Build quality may be slightly down, but the latest crop of Tamron FFs are built quite impressively for the $

The ability to take filters is definitely a big plus. Or, anyone on a tight budget willing to give up another 1mm could go for the older 17-35 2.8-4.0 and save nearly $1000. It's a quite solid performing little lens.

True. Like most other photography tools, it's really about fitness for a particular purpose. For landscape work, the 16-35 f4 is probably a better option do to the ability to use filters and unlikely need for f2.8. For low light indoor shots, the Tamron probably would be a better choice.

It really is a surprising decision from Tamron. It may have been different if they were saving money but they aren't. The lenses have all the necessary functionality but its just disabled in the lens.

I read somewhere that they do this because Sony would accidently keep both IBIS and the lens based IS on simultaneously and it would reduce in slightly blurred images as both IS systems would counter each other.

Yeah, I wondered why every third part lens for the Sony mount is unstabilized, and I suspect that might be the reason. Still, with a 15-30mm lens like this, I wonder just how crucial the IS will be. I doubt you're going to get 3 stops difference like with a telephoto, so I'd assume 1-2 stops at the most would be much more realistic, since once you go slower than 1/8 it becomes much more about how steady your hand holding technique is.

This lens is for A-mount, not E-mount. It's not suitable for E-mount A7-series unless you use adapter. Tamron never released any stabilized lens for A-mount (unlike Sigma). It might be a request from Sony (which owns noticeable portion of Tamron shares) not to put in-body image stabilization in a bad light.

"there are not so many a99s floating around relative to the number of A7 cameras" - debatable, and besides: A99 is not the only Full Frame A-mount camera.

Every third party lens for Sony is not unstabilized. The latest Sigma 105mm macro lens has OSS in Sony mount.

I know, I own one and use it on my A77.

You have a choice and can either use the OSS in the lens or the IBIS in the body but you do have to remember not to use both at once.

Mind you I have never tried both on at once. Maybe I should to see what happens!

Some Sony users get very annoyed with Tamron who do remove OSS from all their Sony mount lenses. It doesn't bother me as IBIS works very well.

One of the arguments in favour of OSS lenses is you get a stabilized image through the viewfinder. On the latest A77MkII it can even give you a stabilized view in the EVF when you use IBIS so even that advantage has gone.

"Every third party lens for Sony is not unstabilized. " - no idea what that sentence means, but in any way: All Tamrons for A-mount do not have an image stabilization. At the same time all Sigma lenses that have image stabilization on other mounts offer it on the A-mount too.

I don't quite get the concept of buying off-brands for >$1000. Most Tamron lenses I've owned only lasted a few years (three out of three have developed issues of some sort), while only one of my other lenses has ever had an issue (one Sony-Zeiss had an AF motor issue). Tamron is well-known to have no useful support. I view Tamrons as basically a consumable/disposable product, and that really suggests maybe $500 as an upper bound; perhaps $750 for an f/2.8 zoom.

If I've got $1200 to spend, I'd rather get an f/4, or a little less zoom, or whatever, but get something that I don't have to worry about breaking. Canon. Nikon. New Sigma. Tokina. Sony. Pentax. Leica, Zeiss, Panasonic. Etc. Not Tamron, Opteka, Vivitar, etc.

Just had an incident with my Tamron lens, half a month away from the usual Garantie period of 2 years, The lens already had some issues half a year ago, just ignored it until real issues arouse (I am a heavy user, no mercy on the equipment). Tamron ignored in this case that I had not filled out the form and made a refurbish on the lens for free. I am a happy costumer that will trash this lens at a later date thanks to their support. For 900 Euros you cant expect more then that. 28-70mm VC holds up to its promise. The Picture quality is OK!

They've stepped up their game for image quality a fair bit, although they do tend to focus on review-friendly aspects (e.g. sharpness) over ones that reviews cannot as easily measure (e.g. coma, contrast, etc.). 20 years ago, they were Quantaray-grade. Today, they're pretty okay.

They have definitely not stepped up their game for support. I tried to RMA a 17-50mm f/2.8 just a year back, within warranty period; it was a no-go due to a technicality (it was a gift), and out-of-pocket repair costs were half the price of the lens.

I don't believe they've stepped up their game for product quality either. As far as I know, they're still cheap, disposable lenses that break after a few years of use.

It is, indeed, possible. My equipment is there to be used, not to sit in a glass case. I use it as will maximize my odds of getting a shot.

Nevertheless, I have a whole collection of equipment from Sony, Sony-Zeiss, Tokina, Olympus, Panasonic, and Minolta. Many of those I bought used, including Minolta gear dating back decades. Except for my Tamron glass, the only lens which developed an issue was a Sony Zeiss which is (1) my second most commonly used lens and (2) I had bought used from Lens Rentals. At this point, all of those lenses have received many times more abuse than any of the Tamron lenses.

Not all of the Tammy issues were serious. The Tamron 18-200mm developed zoom creep, a bit of play, and the IQ got a little worse. The 200-500mm, which I've used a half-dozen times, had the lens hood stop clicking in place. The Tamron 17-50mm had degraded IQ, and made a rattling sound. I sent it to Tamron. They wouldn't honor warranty, and sent it back with a ring unglued....

I've owned Sigma, Tamron, Rokinon, Canon, Panasonic and Olympus lenses. So far I've sent in a Canon to repair a broken IS part (17-55 f/2.8), and an Olympus (17mm f/1.8) that failed to focus out of the box, plus my Sigma zoom ring broke when I dropped it (hard to fault the lens in that case). I also have a Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 that the aperture is stuck at f/1.8 on. Not to say they aren't better built than Tamron, but just an example of how one bad experience doesn't say much about quality control :)

LR stocks a total of 10 Tamron lenses. Most of those almost certainly do not have enough copies to make the charts. Of the remaining, 2 are in the top 10 failure rate lenses. Given that the 17-50mm has a small sample set, the only lenses I can imagine making the chart are the 70-200. the 24-70, and the 17-50mm.

That's 2 out of 3. That's pretty telling.

I'll also mention that I've done statistical significance testing on small sample sizes. I own about a dozen lenses, including 3 Tamron. That's enough to be useful data. I can't tell you if 50% of Tamron lenses will develop issues after a few years of light use, or 100%, but I can tell you it is more than the other brndns.

I'd love to see more tests of Canon lenses on the A7R too- they clearly have the optical advantage in many segments, yet that's hard to show objectively- and it's frustrating when the cameras top out at 22MP with AA filter :).

Erm, what will this Tamron have that the award-winning and one third cheaper Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 does not have? Is it just about the image stabilization? Or those 3mm at the wide end? What am I missing?

At these wide angles (15mm is 100.4 degrees and 30mm is 61.9 degrees), you more then double the distance, can be quite some steps... I hope you have the space. For a nice mountain range you would have to move back a few miles

15-30 is my major lens range in reports ! theres no place so you need to use wide angles ... combo with 70-200 is great then you realize that 24-70 range isnt as important as used to be normaly without that wide angle

I loved my Sigma 15-30 with the exception of the push-pull MF/Af switching and that silly filter ring/hood. It seemed to cause a ton of Vignette at 15-17mm even with super low profile filters. That said, this would be a nice addition at f/2.8.

If it was able to accept filters I would have one on pre-order now. I don't use them all the time but I would like to be able to if needed. I may just go for a used Canon 16-35 ii for around the same price. I'll wait till it's out, rent both and then decide.

Got an even sharper 14mm F2.8 @ 800$ less than the Tamron. No stabilization, no AF. All that is left to the skill of the photographer. "Hybrid aspherical lenses". The price diff to the Tamron would get me a Nikon 20mm F1.8 (still pining for that one). Add to that my Zeiss 35mm F2 and my Sigma 15mm F2.8 and there is a pile of primes that beat the sh.. out of the zooms. Any zooms. I do get the point of the amazing post somewhere with the runner in the mountains - AF is always great and probably required these days for sports.

I was recently considering a new wide angle, and my interest was piqued whenI heard of this new offering from Tamron, but the moment I learned that it doesn't accept filters, I went out and bought the Canon 16-35 f/4.It seems strange to make a lens like this that will not accept filters. They're losing a lot of potential buyers.

Its target is the Nikon 14-24, the long time landscape standard, for which filters have always been the topic of discussion. Many Canon users have waited long for a comparable offering and this is for them. The less specialized 16-35's are there for the rest of us.

The 16-35 is a fanastic lens, and can be used very diffently compared to the 14-24. I have tested the 14-24 several time and it is fantastic. But as a walk arount lens during sightseeing and walking and partcularly indoors and in low light it offers far more options (because of VR) than the 14-24 mm. The only negative about the 16mm step is visible distortion and the need to corret it in processing.

exaclty. not everything nikon or canon do is the best. and I personally feel pricing for a lot of lenses need to come down.

they still sell the 15 year old 17-35 AFS lens for $1800? they sold for $1400 when new, if anything it should be selling for less since its old tech. not exactly a great performer either compared to other lenses.

I couldnt be happier I have another option to the 14-24 and 16-35. basically merging features from both in one.

I have a feeling this will be at least on par with the 14-24 if not more.

The 17-35D is Nikon's weakest wide-angle zoom, followed by the 16-35/4 VR you mention, and outside of PJ work with tight deadlines, I agree- for my 6D, I'd be picking up the new 16-35/4L IS rather than the 16-35/2.8L II, as the faster lens never really sharpens up in the corners.

I seriously doubt it'll be better than or even equal to the awesome Nikkor 14-24. That's the one to beat, and it's still the king of landscape zooms. And this one is only a couple of hundreds less. In the Canon camp, however, it'll probably have better success.

In case the implied '/s' didn't make it through to some; there are still many, many reasons to get the exposure 'right' in camera. Better sensors and better lenses are allowing for more levity in post, sure, but 'post-processing' is not the solution to all photographic problems.

Polarizers only have issues on ultra wide angle lenses with lots of sky in the frame (which becomes uneven in color). If using the polarizing to control reflections on water or the like, it will work just fine regardless of focal length. The latter case for a polarizer is the one where post-processing won't work as an alternative, too.

I recall some Chinese company makes a filter holder to hold 150mm filters, so at least those looking for ND filters have some recourse. There were adaptors for Canon and Nikon lenses, so maybe they might make one for this lens.

Fixing an uneven sky is doable, I'm sure, but I wouldn't want to spend that time if I didn't have to. If a shot had a lot of water and sky in it, the effort could be worth it. But if just using the polarizer for a deeper blue sky, it is likely easer to just deepen the sky in post than to fix an uneven sky.

For me as Canon user:Portraits: It is very heavy compared with non IS 16-35/2.8 lens (especially together with other lenses in bag). IS will not help to short the moving people.Landscapes: No filters;For other systems/goals may be useful of corse.

Image stabilisation is less mandatory with such a wide angle, but it's an impressive tool to have, especially with that price.

Will be for my D610 (and maybe future D750) the equivalent of the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 I have for my APS-C D300!

I trust Tamron to do great lenses, using a stabilized Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 on my D300 for daily use, and also a stabilized Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 on my D610. They are both great with incredible features and quality/price.

Notice that "shallow depth of field" might not be what do you think it is, with a 15mm to 30mm focal lenth ;)

This lens is unique, yet it's market position is a bit awkward; a fast aperture with stabilization is great for a number of uses, but the unsealed nature of the lens combined with the difficulty of using filters, along with some stiff first-party (and third party) competition means it might not be as popular as it is cool. And it is cool.

If you intend to consider this lens, why would you take it over the other lenses already available in the same focal length?

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